Nursing Interventions in the Perioperative Pathway of the Patient with Breast Cancer: A Scoping Review

Abstract

The decrease in average hospitalisation time and the increase in outpatient surgery in some types of breast cancer represent gains for the reduction of the negative impact of hospitalisation in women with breast cancer but are also a challenge for the organisation of nursing care to prepare women for surgery, reduce anxiety about the interventions, and ensure continuity of care in the postoperative period. The aim of this study is to identify nursing interventions present in the care provided to patients with breast cancer during the perioperative period. A scoping review was the method chosen to answer the research question: What are the specialised nursing interventions in the perioperative pathway of the patient with breast cancer? Inclusion and exclusion criteria were defined for the articles that were identified in the CINAHL and MEDLINE databases; later, additional sources were identified from the list of bibliographic references for each selected study. The final bibliographical sample consisted of seven articles, which allowed the identification of three key moments of nursing interventions in the perioperative period of patients with breast cancer: the preoperative consultation, the reception of the patient in the operating room, and the postoperative consultation. Factors such as psychological, emotional, and spiritual support, communication and patient-centred care, health education and surgical safety, and the definition of a perioperative pathway for these patients contribute significantly to patients’ satisfaction and the improvement of their quality of life. The results of this study make it possible to establish recommendations for practise and for research, increasing the range of nurses’ actions.